


Paper of Pins

by OnlyHim



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 12:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyHim/pseuds/OnlyHim
Summary: Steve is courting Danny (or trying to), but Danny hasn't really realized that that's what's been going on.





	Paper of Pins

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this song](https://www.letras.mus.br/renato-russo/100333/), which is one of the most adorable songs I've ever listened to in my entire life. I highly recommend you check it out before reading the story, I think it makes the story a lot more enjoyable this way. (There's a video on the link too)
> 
> First posted on [tumblr.](https://whenamarshmallowmeetsahothead.tumblr.com/post/146711171020/inspired-by-a-song-called-paper-of-pins-i-just)

Danny arrived at his office to find a huge bouquet of plumerias sitting on his desk. He puzzled over them for a while, having no idea who might have put them there. He moved closer, but there were no cards or anything.

“Morning.”

Danny jumped when Steve spoke behind him. Freaking ninja. He turned to look at Steve, who had this weird look on his face.

“Morning.” Danny studied Steve, trying to get a read on him. He noticed Steve’s gaze move from his face to the vase of flowers then back to him, a kind of nervous energy around him.

“You, uh, happen to know what these are?” Danny asked, pointing to the flowers without turning towards them, never taking his gaze off Steve’s face.

“They are plumerias, Danny.”

“Yes, Steven, I know that much. What I’m asking is if you know what they’re doing on my desk.”

Steve seemed to blush a little.

“I, uh… I just thought you needed to brighten up your office a little.” Steve ducked his head down, not looking at Danny anymore.

“You put them here?” Danny was incredulous.

“Yes?”

“Why?”

“I thought I’d answered that question already.”

“But… but…” Danny didn’t know what to say, because honestly? None of this made any sense.

“It’s just a gift, Danny. I was just doing something nice.” Steve sounded a little irritated now. No, frustrated… and maybe a little disappointed.

“Um, thank you, then, I guess.”

“Yeah. You’re welcome.” Steve turned to go to his own office and Danny could’ve sworn he looked a little sad.

—————–

“Steve?”

“Yes, Daniel?”

“Any idea what this is?”

“It looks like a box.”

“Oh, wow, how perceptive of you.”

“You’re the one who asked the question.”

“I know it’s a box, you dope, and I also know it’s a _gift_ box. From a very, _very_ expensive clothing store.”

“Okay. And?”

“You have any idea who put it there?”

“Uh… Me? Maybe?”

“Why?”

“Wanted to give you a present? That’s usually what _gift_ boxes mean. That they contain a gift.”

Danny moved over to the desk and took the box, opening it gingerly. Inside there was a tie, the most beautiful tie he’d ever touched, and most likely the most expensive at the store. Which meant that it had probably cost half what he made in a month.

“You gave me a tie? Of all things, a tie.”

“So?”

“You hate my ties.”

“You don’t.”

Danny was stunned into silence. What was going on? Had he walked into a parallel universe or something?

“Well, thank you,” was all Danny could say, because anything else required a thought process he wasn’t capable of at the moment.

“Sure.” Steve turned away, the same look on his face than the one when he’d given Danny the flowers.

“Sure?” Danny muttered to himself. “Who gives someone a present this nice and acts like it’s nothing? What the fucking hell is happening?”

—————

“Steven?”

“Daniel?”

“Why do I have so much money in my bank account?”

“Because you’ve been saving? How should I know, it’s your account.”

“Money that wasn’t there yesterday.”

“Oh. It’s a Christmas bonus. The whole team got one.”

“We’ve never gotten bonuses before.”

“I just thought you’ve all been doing such a good job that you deserved some recognition, so I talked to the Governor and he agreed on giving you this.”

“Oh, really? ‘Cause I just talked to the Governor and he had no idea what I was talking about.”

“What?” Steve spluttered and looked like he was choking on air. “Why were you talking to the Governor?”

“Because I assumed he had something to do with it, so I called to thank him.”

“Oh… uh…”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Steve was looking down, biting his lip. “It’s, uh… possible?”

“Why?”

“Like I said, I thought you all deserved some recognition.”

“And you decided to do that by spending thousands and thousands of dollars of your _own_ money?”

“It just seemed like buying you a couple of beers wouldn’t cut it.”

“Okay, Steve, what the hell is going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“With the flowers, and the gifts and the money? What’s with all this?”

“It’s just… You deserve it, okay? You deserve to have nice things and I wanted to give them to you.”

“But… Steve…”

“I just think you’re under appreciated. You’re a great addition to this team, a great partner a wonderful friend, an exceptionally good person and you… deserve good things. That’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah.”

“How can you say all this and act like it’s nothing?”

“I’m not… It’s just… It should be obvious, okay? Everyone should see that and treat you like the amazing person you are. So I am. Because you should know how much you’re lov-” It looked like all the blood had left Steve’s face and he was choking on air again. “I mean… I… I gotta go.”

Steve turned away before Danny could say anything. Not that he would, because how do you even reply to something like that?

—————

“You wanna go get a drink tonight?” Steve appeared at the door to Danny’s office.

“Sure. Side streets?”

“Uh, I was thinking about somewhere… different.”

“Okay. What do you have in mind?”

“How about I just take you there?”

“'You’ as in the whole team…?”

“No. Just you.”

“Oh. Okay. Any reason in particular?”

“No. Just… Look, are you in or are you out?”

“Yeah, sure, I’m in. I’ll be done here in an hour.”

“Good.”

Steve left Danny’s office with a soft smile on his face, but Danny was sure that it was just his impression that he also looked nervous and a little bit shy.

—————

Steve showed up at Danny’s door again exactly an hour later. Wearing slacks. And a dress shirt. And actual shoes that weren’t made to be worn in combat.

“You look really nice, babe,” Danny said trying to hide how surprised he was. “What’s the occasion?”

“We’re going out, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what?”

Danny was confused. Something very weird was going on, had been going on, and it was starting to piss him off that he didn’t know what the hell Steve’s endgame was.

“Nothing.” Danny shook his head, both to accompany his answer and to shake off his thoughts. He’d been driving himself crazy trying to figure out what this was all about and he didn’t even know what to think anymore. He figured he’d just wait to see where they were going, and maybe he’d be able to get Steve to tell him what he was doing.

 

They went to a restaurant. Not a bar, a restaurant. A really nice one. But not an expensive and fancy one like everything else that Steve had been doing, just a nice atmosphere, quiet and cozy. The hostess led them to a secluded table on a corner by the window.

They sat and Steve ordered the house wine. Which according to the waitress wasn’t the most expensive, but it was special because it was made by the owner’s family, who’d own a small farm in California for generations. Steve waited for Danny to choose what he wanted then ordered for them both. The waitress left again and Danny noticed that Steve really was nervous, fidgeting with his own hands on the table, avoiding Danny’s eyes but chancing a glance at him every once in a while.

Ohhhhhh. God, how had it taken Danny so long to see it? It was so obvious now. And he called himself a detective. Well, in his defence, his perception had been clouded by his own feelings about this whole thing.

“Steve, is this a date?” Danny asked almost afraid of the answer. Afraid that he could be wrong despite all evidence to the contrary.

“Are you going to punch me if I say yes?” Steve looked at Danny now, hope in his eyes, but also a whole lot of wariness.

“No.” Danny couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. “God, that’s what you’ve been doing? You were courting me?”

“I… guess?”

“God, Steve, you’re such an idiot. Why didn’t you just say so from the start? It would have saved you a whole lot of trouble. Not to mention money.”

“I… I was afraid you were going to say no. I thought I had to win you over. I thought I had to convince you that being with me could be worth it.”

Steve was the picture of adorableness. Danny couldn’t imagine anything that could be sweeter than his super-macho-SEAL partner being all insecure about dating someone. About dating _him_. Even if it was also a little sad that Steve had to feel that way.

“Steve…” Danny reached over to take hold of one of Steve’s hands, which were still moving restlessly over the table. He squeezed it in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “I could never say no to you. Not regarding this. And I didn’t need any convincing, you goof. I don’t need a single penny, or gifts, or flowers, or whatever from you to know that being with you is worth it. Just you being you makes it all worth it.” Danny was the one who was feeling nervous and shy now, but he wanted to go on, because if Steve really believed what he’d said, he had to know this. “Being with you is actually my dream come true.”

The smile that spread over Steve’s face could have powered the entire island for a whole month.

“Really?” Steve squeezed Danny’s hand back and the relief and hope and affection in his eyes made Danny feel his insides go all funny.

“Yeah. Really.”

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](http://whenamarshmallowmeetsahothead.tumblr.com/) is exclusively McDanno.


End file.
